WELCOME TO MY KITCHEN

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Last night I used my favourite cut of meat again - the pork scotch fillet!!

Tonight it was baked with a honey soy marinade and teamed with roasted pear and fennel, pumpkin, and some "smashed" potatoes. We had a feast fit for a king!! The piece of pork I used was approximately 1.9kg and cost around $15 - when you consider that we fed 7 people with it last night - it worked out a very economical meal.

approximately 15 sage leaves (these you add during the last hour of cooking onto the top of the pork)

A really great way to marinade any kind of meat is to place all the marinade ingredients into a large ziploc bag. This was a tip I picked up on a Jamie Oliver show years ago - and you know it is one of the best tips I have heard. You can "knead" the marinade into the meat really easily and - the best part is you throw it away when you are finished!

So I let the pork marinade for around 5 hours - but if you are short of time 1 hour will do. Longer is obviously better.

It was then placed it into an oven that had been preheated to 160 degrees C and it was roasted for 2 hours. Make sure you baste and turn it frequently - approximately every 30 minutes - this ensures even browning.

Now during this first hour is the time to get all your veggies ready. Tonight the major accompaniment was to be fennel and pear. I trimmed the fennel of the bushy green parts (you can use this as garnish if you like) - cut the bottoms and remove the hard outer part. Then cut each one into 4 pieces. The pear was quartered, and the core removed. I coated the pear and fennel in a splash of olive oil then put them onto a baking tray with a small amount of the marinade.

Our other side dish was to be "smashed potatoes" - now this is a great favourite with "the darlings". I simply boil new potatoes until tender (with the skin on) - drain and then place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper - then "smash" them and coat them liberally with garlic olive oil spray.

Tonight pumpkin was added to all the other vegetables to be roasted.

Once the pork has been in the oven for an hour, it is time to add all your other vegetables.

As you are putting all the vegetables into the oven place the sage leaves on top of the pork.

When the pork is cooked to your liking it needs to rest for 15 minutes before you cut it!

During this 15 minutes - pour a small amount of honey over the pear and fennel just to glaze them and sprinkle your "smashed" potatoes with a small amount of grated parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt. Bake for a further 15 minutes.

You may like to add some greenery to the meal - we had baby asparagus and peas.